Friday Drivel: Stupid Yet Oddly Popular Songs

Jason Menard

Sheriff

Posts: 6450

posted 15 years ago

Made the mistake of tuning in an 80's pop radio station today, which brings up this question: What do you think are some of the stupidest, but for some reason fairly popular songs that you can think of? You know, those tunes that seemed to get constant airplay, but looking back on it you have to ask yourself what the hell we were thinking? Personally I would leave anything from the 50's off the list, because, well it would be a very long list otherwise. My nominations:

Macarena - Los Del Rio [possibly the king of sucky songs]

Achey-Breaky Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus [running a close second]

Me and You and a Dog Named Boo - Lobo

Kiss on my List - Hall & Oates

Mickey - Tony Basil

Rapture - Blondie [the first rap song?]

Afternoon Delight - Starland Vocal Band [ode to the nooner]

Axel Janssen

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Posts: 2166

posted 15 years ago

"video killed the radio star" by the bungles or was it buggles?

Jason Menard

Sheriff

Posts: 6450

posted 15 years ago

Originally posted by Axel Janssen: "video killed the radio star" by the bungles or was it buggles?

I think "buggles". But hey, I liked that song.

Corey McGlone

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Posts: 3271

posted 15 years ago

I don't mean to advertise (especially when it's not for me ), but a local radio station, WAPL, is running a tournament to see what the crappiest song of all time is. Each day (I think just during the week), they pit two songs against one another and let everyone vote on them to determine which one is worse. The song voted as the worst will move on to the next round until a "Grand Champion Worst Song" will be crowned. You can check it out at http://www.wapl.com. Unfortunately, you can't get a clip of the songs from their site, but you can always vote for them. Today's category and contests: Crappy Dances: 1. Boot Scootin' Boogie - Brooks and Dunnvs. 2. Super Bowl Shuffle - The Chicago Bears (1985 - 86, I think) Now you can get a new dose of bad music every day. Corey

Ever heard the song fromt the Austin powers soundtrack........ 'BBC' It goes something like this..... BBC1......BBC2.......BBC3.......BBC4.........BBC5.....BBC6...........BBC7..........i stopped listening after that.

Anonymous

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Posts: 18944

posted 15 years ago

"Yellow Submarine" makes no sense at all.

Nigel Browne

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Posts: 704

posted 15 years ago

I am a walrus ?

Rowan Brownlee

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Posts: 97

posted 15 years ago

"Seasons in the Sun" Can't resist an extract Goodbye Emile, it's hard to die when all the birds are singing in the sky. Now that the Spring is in the air Pretty girls are ev'rywhere. Think of me and I'll be there. Chorus: We had joy. We had sun. We had seasons in the sun, but the hills we would climb were just seasons out of time.

Rowan Brownlee

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Posts: 97

posted 15 years ago

Even better, "Never been to me" - which just tries too too hard to mean something. "Hey lady, you lady cursing at your life You're a discontented mother and a regimented wife I've no doubt you dream about the things you'll never do But, I wish someone had a talked to me like I wanna talk to you..... "

Nigel Browne

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Posts: 704

posted 15 years ago

"Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak, somewhere in this town" I would try the local jail, can't remember to many jailbreaks from the local school.

Actually I think it's "Little Boy Blue and the Man in the Moon". The song is a commentary on modern parenting.

Jason Menard

Sheriff

Posts: 6450

posted 15 years ago

Which reminds me of possibly one of the most commonly misunderstood lyrics, which is from Manfred Man's Blinded By the Light. The lyric as I and many others have heard it: "Blinded by the light. Wrapped up like a douche Another runner in the night." Many years later I learned it was: "Blinded by the light. Revved by like a deuce Another runner in the night." Of course then there's always Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze", where it sounds like he says - "Excuse me while I kiss this guy." (he really says "Excuse me while I kiss the sky").

oooh ... I've been to Georgia, and California and anywhere i could run Took the hand of a preacher man and we made love in the sun.

But i ran out of places and friendly faces because I had to be free I've been to paradise but I've never been to me.

Please lady, please lady don't just walk away Cause I have this need to tell you why i'm all alone today

I can see so much of me Still living in your eyes won't you share a part of a weary heart that has lived a million lies

Oh I've been to nice and the isle of greece while i sipped champagne on a yacht i moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo and showed 'em what i've got

I've been undressed by kings, and i've seen some things that a woman ain't supposed to see I've been to paradise but I've never been to me.

[spoken] Hey, you know what paradise is? it's a lie, a fantasy we create about people and places as we'd like them to be But you know what truth is? it's that little baby you're holding and it's that man you fought with this morning the same one you're gonna make love with tonight. That's truth That's love [/spoken]

Sometimes I've been to crying for unborn children that might have made me complete But I.. I took the sweet life and never knew I'd be bitter from the sweet

I spent my life exploring, the subtle whoring that costs too much to be free Hey lady,

I've been to paradise

But I've never been to me...

Ok... now that i've forced you all to read that...

I think the spoken word segment is where most 'modern' woman start to feel ill. Not to mention the first lyric after that section, where it's implied that having children makes a woman complete.

But wow, what a few pearls of wisdom are buried at the end of the song...

"I took the sweet life and never knew I'd be bitter from the sweet"

"I spent my life exploring, the subtle whoring that costs too much to be free"

Without getting to philosphical... there's a few people I know that would be happier if they listened to this song, and *heard* what was being said. And now, since it's meaningless drivel, i'll lighten it up...

Classic drag-queen torch-song material. How can you not just love it to bits and pieces?

Take a Letter Maria Last night, as I got home, about a half past ten There was the woman I thought I knew, in the arms of another man. I kept my cool, I ain't no fool, let me tell you what happened then... I packed some clothes and I walked out, and I ain't going back again.

so take a letter maria, address it to my wife, say I won't be coming home, gotta start a new life.

Thomas Paul

mister krabs
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Posts: 13974

posted 15 years ago

"Take a Letter Maria"! I forgot all about that song. Truly uninspired drivel. How about another song that came out about the same time, "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" by Looking Glass: There's a port on a western bay And it serves a hundred ships a day Lonely sailors pass the time away And talk about their homes And there's a girl, in this harbor town And she works, laying whiskey down They say "Brandy, fetch another round" She serves them whiskey and wine The sailors say "Brandy, you're a fine girl What a good wife you would be Yeah your eyes could steal a sailor From the sea." etc.http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/8678/sl_brandy.html Definite barfing material.

This one is actually one that always makes me laugh out loud. It's just so awful, and unaccountably, still quite popular up here in Winnipeg, Canada... at *wedding socials*. For those not in the know, a wedding social is a way for couples to raise money. They sell tickets for about $10, and people come and buy more tickets for a prize raffle. There are usually about 10 different prizes.. there is also lots of drinking and dancing, and food. Sometimes the best man will do a little bit of a mini-roast of the groom.

Anyway.. I have never been to one of these socials where this song was NOT played..

I'll snip just a bit of the lyrics because well,I don't wanna blow anyone's church-lady filter.

Strokin' - Clarence Carter I stroke it to the east I stroke it to the west I stroke it to the woman that I love the best When I start making love I don't just make love I be strokin' That's what I be doing I be strokin'

.. and much later in the 'song'... The other night I was strokin' my woman And it got so good to her, You know what she told me? Let me tell you what she told me She said... Stroke it Clarence Carter But don't stroke so fast If my stuff ain't tight enough You can stick it up my...woh! I be strokin'!! Yah... I said 'unaccountably', didn't I?

Rowan Brownlee

Ranch Hand

Posts: 97

posted 15 years ago

I think that for drama, you just can't go past Gene Pitney and "24 hours from tulsa" ~~~~~~~ Dearest darlin' I had to write to say that I won't be home anymore 'cause something happened to me while I was drivin' home And I'm not the same anymore Oh, I was only twenty four hours from Tulsa Ah, only one day away from your arms I saw a welcoming light and stopped to rest for the night And that is when I saw her as I pulled in outside of the small motel she was there And so I walked up to her, asked where I could get something to eat And she showed me where. Oh, I was only twenty four hours from Tulsa Ah, only one day away from your arms She took me to the caf�, I asked her if she would stay, she said "OK" Oh, I was only twenty four hours from Tulsa Ah, only one day away from your arms The jukebox started to play and night time turned into day as we were dancin' Closely, all of a sudden I lost control as I held her charms And I caressed her, kissed her, told her I'd die Before I would let her out of my arms Oh, I was only twenty four hours from Tulsa Ah, only one day away from your arms I hate to do this to you but I love somebody new, what can I do? And I can never, never, never---go home again.